Site News: Spam, Closures, and Raffles, Oh My

Time for a general update on things present and future at NobleDead.org. We will save the best for last… you know which one that is.

Victimized by Spam… and Google

The Google Blogger system on which we currently run NobleDead.org has one of the worst, non-customizable anti-spam systems ever seen. Even now, we process up to a dozen spam comments per day on the site, though most of our real followers now use our social satellite pages to comment.

Turning on required logins for comments is also not an option. Google only recognizes its own system logins and those of blog systems it has absorbed. We will not do that to those who drop by. And so…

To recapture lost time, Blogger’s native comment system has been shut off and replaced with one from Disqus. Not an optimal choice, but this changes nothing for most of you. Spam filtering will be more controllable and far superior, plus Disqus allows logins (right at comment sections) via Disqus, Facebook, Twitter, and even Google accounts. And of course you can still talk to us through any of our social system satellite pages. Yes, you can.

The End of an Era for BarbHendee.org

A while back, Barb shifted all of her posting and news for her solo works over to NobleDead.org. We left BarbHendee.org live for the time being, and it will remain so for a while longer to serve those seeking her through search engines. We were also monitoring traffic on satellite social pages associated to her site.

Traffic to those pages has finally flat-lined in most cases. It is time to take them down. Most notably, the Facebook and Google+ pages for BarbHendee.org have now been deleted, and any others will follow soon. Of course you know Barb will continue to share with you over at NobleDead.org into the future.

Another Noble Dead Raffle for the Holidays!

Our publisher’s promotions department has a couple of fresh copies of our next book heading our way. Yes, two of the four books for the coming raffle series will be signed, 1st edition, hardbacks for S3B3: A Wind in the Night.

How about that for a Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, Winter Solstice, etc. gift? Maybe you will be the lucky one or two to get your copy before anyone else.

The other two books to be raffled will be likewise for S3B2: The Dog in the Dark. But do not send in your entries just yet.

Wait for the official announcement to come within a week (two at the most) with all the necessary instructions on how to enter. Whether you want one of these prizes for yourself or as gift for someone else, watch for that and get your entry in quick!

That is all for today, though likely most of you are already busy feasting and will not see this until later. We are soon off to a bit of feasting ourselves and we will be back with you during the coming week.